City of God - Characters and themes

Benny

Tries to leave the drug business, dies anyway

Lil Zé

Gains his power by killing all competition

bribes the corrupt police,

Carrot

Takes over Big Boy's drug business (gets arrested for not paying off the police)
Is arrested by the police at the end

Reflective Analysis

Lynne Ramsey

Similarities Kill the Day & MC

·         No expositional dialogue, visual storytelling

·         The character does nothing for a while, staring

·         Non-Linear

·         Extreme scene jumping

o   Hospital -> Prison (KTD)

o   Apartment -> Train Station (MC)

Similarities

·         Standing at bodies of water

Section B Film Choices

Pleasures

Scopophilia

The love of watching something (admiration).

Voyeurism

The sexual side of scopophilia, watching someone from a powerful position, where you can not be seen by the subject being watched

'The Gaze'

'The Gaze' is a popular feminist ideology also known as 'The Male Gaze' which is the concept that women are objectified in cinema by the male viewers due to the sexualization of many Hollywood actresses.

Objectification

Women are objectified by the male gaze

Uses and Gratification

The Uses and Gratifications theory is how spectators use films and the pleasures that an individual may have whilst watching a film.

Spectatorship

'One of the great pleasures of popular cinema is surrendering to the film experience and allowing ourselves to be emotionally manipulated'  

 

• Immersion - a film that draws you in and makes you believe (Whiplash)
• Suspension of Disbelief - a film in which the spectator must allow themselves to believe (Creed)

Watching Whiplash for the first time, I found myself being completely immersed by the characters and the story, partly because it was believable and I think that it was also because of how well the film flowed from a narrative perspective. The film had a linear narrative and focused solely on a lone character which made the film very easy to follow and very easy to concentrate on.

On the other hand, whilst watching Creed I felt that I had to suspend my own disbelief, which I think is partly because of my expectations, I had heard great things about Whiplash and therefore psychologically my mind was easily persuaded, and I think that I wanted to be persuaded by it as it was such a hugely respected and loved film that I wanted to be a part of it. 

Creed however, I had little to no expectations for a 'new Rocky Balboa film' as I perceived the film as a cash cow and a silly reboot and I think it's time that the Rocky films "throw the damn towel"

My predetermined opinion of the film effected my immersion level, and for what it's worth I think that the film was an odd balance between ridiculous and predictable.